The Torment Bred in the Race
by Ann Cantell
Summary: <html><head></head>Albus Severus Potter has just started his first year at Hogwarts. He was sure of a lot of things. That his brother James was going to tease him mercilessly, that Rose Weasley was his best friend, and that he did not want to be in Slytherin. When his worst dream comes true it only gets worse from there. Bullies. Magic. Thieves. Attacks. Albus's year is sure to be interesting.</html>


**PROLOGUE**

_August 2002, Diagon Alley_

Four years. It had been almost four years of constant chases and raids to catch every Voldemort follower that was left after the war. It was such a huge part of his life. Spend the day hunting dark wizards, come home to Grimmauld Place 12 to catch some sleep, and then head back out. A little over a year ago this had started to include coming home to Ginny. Then it had just suddenly stopped. He became an in house Auror learning the basic procedures that had been overlooked in the post-war haze and taking remedial training in his worst areas. The work had been boring and hard in a different way than hunting dark wizards was.

Harry Potter hadn't stopped smiling the past five months.

Boring meant safe. It meant being able to attend Ginny's first game as a Harpy. It meant not having to miss Weasley family dinners helping track down Rabastan Lestrange in the Black Forest. It meant the war was really over and he got to see the world righting itself.

That didn't mean he hadn't been wanting a challenge though. His instructor, who'd finally started calling him Auror Potter like any other recruit, had recognized it and today marked his first day as a fully functioning Auror with a non-Death Eater related case.

"You're late Auror Potter." A soft voice said cutting though Harry's thoughts.

He looked up to find Gawain Robards looking at him disapprovingly. Not that Robards ever looked at him approvingly. The Head of the Auror Office seemed determined to treat Harry as any other new Auror, allowing him leeway in the beginning to help hunt the Death Eaters as he had all the new crop of Aurors. Once the Death Eaters began to dwindle, more and more were reassigned to more everyday tasks and helping with reconstruction. They'd lost quite a few now that things were mostly settled, Neville and Ron among them. Those that stayed were faced with the same training. Harry was most definitely not an exception and Robards, despite never seeming unfair, was almost hostile in his attempts to keep Harry from preferential treatment.

"Sir," Harry greeted. He received a sharp turn in reply and an impatient gesture to follow the man. Harry did taking in the vastly improved Diagon Alley. Ollivander's had been reopened after the man had recovered under Fleur's gentle care. Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor had been rebuilt and remade by his daughter only weeks before and was thriving even in the chill of the day. Children gathered happily around to stare at the latest broomsticks. Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes was bursting in the pre-Hogwarts rush. Harry made a quick decision to visit Ron there as soon as he finished up for the day. He felt a warmth spread through him as he took it in while keeping pace with Robards silent bulk.

Despite his soft voice, Robards was a bear of a man with a closely cropped head of silver hair and broad shoulders that made Harry look like his former scrawny fifth year self in comparison. The man was walking in purposeful long strides directly straight as Harry took in the familiar sights and he quickly realized where they were heading. Harry barely repressed a flinch when he did.

Gringotts. The goblin run bank hadn't viewed him the same way after the war even if his break in was for a good cause. He'd grown used to a constant small shadow following him with a distrustful glare and obvious suspicion. Ron and Hermione reported similar experiences when they visited. Though Hermione seemed to have gained some grudging approval ever since she helped with some goblin rights bills. Sure enough the moment they crossed through Gringotts doors Harry was met with some poisonous looks and a quickly approaching escort.

Following Robards silently Harry observed his surroundings and noticed the bank was oddly empty and a group of older looking goblins appeared to be talking to a pair of Aurors, Harry recognized instantly.

"Auror Bones! Auror Proudfoot!" Robards called as loudly as his soft voice could as they approached. The red haired woman quickly straightened at the approach as did her senior partner, though when Susan caught sight of Harry she flashed him a quick smile.

"Sir," the two responded instantly and the goblins they'd been talking to turned to spot the new arrivals. One of them actually sputtered in indignation at the sight of Harry and there were some mutterings in what Harry was sure was some rather unflattering Gobbledegook.

"Robards." The eldest looking goblin said with a disgruntled voice and cold eyes. Those eyes quickly switched over to Harry going from icy to glacial in moments. "You bring a thief into our mitts after this has happened?"

It was both a hissed question and a disapproving statement and for once Robards disapproving gaze was on someone other than Harry.

"_Auror_ Potter's possible crimes during the war were excused and he is here purely because of his expertise." Robards said with equal ice and steel in his quiet voice.

Harry looked at the group before him startled. He may have broken into Gringotts and proved it penetrable, but from his understanding the security had become even more nightmarish since then. To the point that some of the lowest vaults were difficult to get to even if they were yours.

"Bones appraise Potter of the situation," Robards ordered coolly and Susan was instantly in action gesturing for Harry to follow her to a more secluded corner.

Susan gave him another smile, but instantly launched into a no nonsense tone she adopted for work.

"At 10:45 this morning one of the goblin workers was found unconscious in a room at a nearby Muggle hotel by the hotel's cleaning staff. The situation is being handled as we speak, but upon further investigation we discovered that the same goblin that reports having not been to Gringotts in twenty-four hours came in to work today. He went about normal business until it was time for a break. It was then that it was discovered the goblin had taken a cart down to the lower vaults, returned, and disappeared. With him went several important objects from the Grey family vault."

Harry instantly grasped the implication and tried not to groan. "The only magic capable of doing that is Polyjuice used on another goblin. Or a Metamorphmagus."

Susan nodded. "It's definitely a Metamorphmagus. The goblin cart had traces of Wizarding magic."

"Then how exactly are we going to catch him?" Harry questioned, a but stunned by this development.

Susan looked back towards where Robards and Proudfoot were talking in tense whispers with the goblins. She looked back at him and shrugged.

Harry sighed. Of course his first case would be something impossible to solve. Three months later there would be another crime with a similar MO, only this time there would be a note. The note linked the two together and from then on the thief that would soon become known as "The Changeling" to the Wizarding World, or "That Little Shit" as Harry preferred, would always leave similar notes all addressed to Auror Potter and eventually to Head Auror Potter.


End file.
